Tom Deters is the reason why the grass is always greener at VVV-Venlo

Working as a groundsman at a professional football club. It was always the dream for Tom Deters from Ysselsteyn. In February this year, that dream became a reality, through the agency of AB Werkt. An avid football fan, Tom was given the chance to turn his hobby into his job. ‘I get a lot of credit for my work here,’ Tom begins, while keeping a close eye on a line-marking robot on one of the practice pitches. ‘A professional football club like VVV-Venlo sets high demands for the quality of the pitches and I like to set the bar high myself too.’ 

Willy Hubers, account manager at AB Werkt and a VVV-Venlo fan himself, knew that this had been Tom’s ambition for some time: ‘Except that these kinds of jobs are not there for the taking. For us, this was also a special vacancy to fill. I immediately approached Tom. Both VVV-Venlo and Tom were very positive about the first interview. After that, everything was quickly settled.’

Sponsorship deal

Tom was initially going to work for VVV-Venlo on a temporary basis. But a different arrangement was eventually chosen. Willy explains: ‘For the value of the contract, we made a barter deal with VVV-Venlo. AB Werkt is now an official partner of VVV-Venlo for a period of 1.5 years. That means we can regularly be found in the stands in Venlo with clients or colleagues.’

Mad about turf

Back to Tom, who has basically been involved with grass throughout his career. Tom: ‘I actually got into it through a holiday job. I worked for 12 years for a company that cultivated and supplied turf to individuals and companies. I also followed a work-based training programme through that company. After that, I worked for a while at a company that maintained sports fields for amateur clubs. So that was already a bit like what I am doing now at VVV-Venlo.’

Top condition

As a full-time groundsman, Tom falls under the Facilities Department. On a daily basis, he deals with everything needed to keep the main and training pitches in top condition. Mowing, line marking, damage repair, aeration. As well as all kinds of maintenance around the fields. In the summer months, Tom spends a lot of time mowing. In winter, it’s more about damage repair, so that the fields come out of the winter period as good as possible.

Smooth turf

The pitch is mowed before every training session. But not before Tom has thoroughly inspected the pitch to see what ‘the damage’ is from the last training session. Tom: ‘I have the most work after a training session. That’s because players are playing intensively in one place for much longer. I tamp down any tussocks that have been uprooted. If the turf has been damaged by a player’s boots, I fix it. After my inspection, mowing can begin. The turf should also look smooth to the eye. That makes me, as well as the footballers, feel good.’